Salem Cross Inn

Our wedding day at the Salem Cross Inn was wonderful and went off without a hitch. But the planning leading up to it wasn't always enjoyable. Every time I had a question, the response I would get made me feel like I was such an annoyance to be asking a question. For example, I would send an email asking 5 questions, and would get an answer to 2 of them. I would then send another email re-asking the remaining 3 questions, and would get a response to 1. It was sometimes frustrating and it would take 2 weeks to finally pull out all of the answers I needed which could have been answered in one email if she had bothered to read it carefully. I think one of the things that bothered me with the responses was that she assumed we should just "know" all of these things. What they don't realize is that while they have done many many weddings, this is our first time--so we had questions about how everything worked.Another peeve was the rehearsal. Since we did not use their recommended justice of the peace, they basically said "good luck" when it came to the ceremony. I just assumed someone would be there to help us, tell us where to go, where to stand, what happens if it rains and we need to be inside (which DID happen), etc. But apparently not. The only help she offered was giving us the name of someone we could hire for an additional fee to be there for the ceremony and rehearsal. Which we did, since--hellooo--we've never been married before so of course we don't know what we're doing! So that was frustrating. But the woman we hired for this was great and REALLY eased my mind the day before the wedding. Her name is Paula Roberts and I definitely recommend hiring her if Salem Cross refuses to help you with the ceremony. I'm not sure what her fee was because my mom took care of that for us.SO. Other than some frustrations with responsiveness, a few attitude issues, and the ceremony rehearsal, the wedding was AWESOME. Looking back, the issues weren't as big of a deal as I thought they were at the time--wedding planning can be very stressful. The day of the wedding it rained so our ceremony ended up inside, which turned out great because it felt much more intimate and everyone could hear the ceremony. They set it up nicely and lit a fire in the fireplace. Then came the cocktail hour, which I heard was nice. My one disappointment with that was that we were told they would bring us an assortment of hor d'oeurves while we were taking pictures and they did not. At one point I saw a waiter with one kind, so I got to have one piece of food. Make sure you speak up and make them bring you an assortment! You pay money for all that food and you should be able to try some of it :) Especially since they assured me we would and it didn't happen. Also, there was no one in sight to bring my husband and I a glass of water. We were desperate for water after the ceremony and never tracked anyone down to bring us any. The reception room was set up BEAUTIFULLY. They were great with letting me make my own centerpieces (mason jars with moss and a candle), table numbers, etc. Just make sure you write them instructions of how you want things set up when you drop everything off the week before. Be organized and think of everything. For example, our candles inside our mason jar centerpieces would need a long lighter so I brought one for them to use, and good thing because she asked for one when we brought them (didn't get it back after the wedding though--but no big deal). The food was PHENOMENAL. We had the rustic chicken and the yankee pot roast. It was delicious and all of our guests agreed. It was served hot and the staff was wonderful. One thing that was nice was at the end of the night they gave us the extra meals for the people who didn't show up. BUT, they told us there were only 4 no shows so we got 4 meals.. but we figured out later we actually had 7 no shows... But whatever. And the cake was delicious and so pretty. Our florist, Barry M (who works with Salem Cross), was absolutely wonderful. The flowers were better than I ever imagined. And he worked with our budget. We told him what we could afford, and he told us what we could get for that much. Whats great about Salem Cross is that its so naturally pretty that you don't need many flowers. We had 2 large arrangements set up during the ceremony, and he moved them to the barn for the reception. Our bouquets and boutinneers were STUNNING and we had so many compliments on them. He also decorated the cake with flowers and it really gave it that extra touch. After dinner the party started. All of our guests raved that this was the best wedding they had ever attended. We all had a blast, the bar staff was awesome and friendly, and I couldn't have had a better time. They let us go pretty long into the night which was great. The whole day didn't feel like we were on any sort of time restraints, but I'm sure that's because we were in the off season so we were the only wedding that day.Overall, a lovely experience. Besides some small annoyances in the planning, everything was great. You can't beat the VALUE--the price is extremely reasonable for how delicious the food is, how gorgeous the setting is, etc. If you are looking for a rustic, beautiful, old fashioned venue with great food, good service, and affordability, Salem Cross Inn is definitely the place!

We chose the Salem Cross Inn because of the beautiful atmosphere, great food, and reviews from previous guests to weddings held there. The planning in the beginning was very easy and everything went smoothly. However, when we had the last few meetings with the staff it wasn’t as stress free. They didn’t seem to really want to let us personalize our wedding. We felt that it was a SALEM CROSS WEDDING not your wedding AT Salem Cross Inn. They didn’t like that we were using our own vendors rather than their recommended vendors. (Note: we wanted to make small changes such as the color of the place cards (we were providing them), etc).It was difficult to schedule meetings with them as well. They were not flexible about working around/with our work schedules. Plus every time they told us to come in on a weekend, they were in the middle of another wedding! So a 10 minute meeting took over an hour because she was so distracted.When we set up the rehearsal, no one met us; luckily our JP was very familiar with the venue so she took charge. We never saw anyone from the staff and we had an appointment. Also- They booked 3 weddings for the same day. One of the reasons that we chose them was that they said that they only did one wedding at a time. I guess they meant that literally. We were a little rushed in the beginning because there was another wedding just before ours, so we didn’t get to take as many pictures before the ceremony as we had originally planned. I have to say that the actual wedding was okay. The food was served hot and tasted great. But they had multiple tour buses come through the place and at the very end they actually brought a tour group through the room downstairs where we had the dancing to show off the fireplace. We had the place booked for the day; it didn’t come with a time limit. And the tour guide was very rude about us being in there. Bottom line: get everything in writing and be aware that there will be multiple weddings and tour buses going through on your day.

Donna and Nancy where amazing to work with. The guests all commented on how awesome the food was. The enjoyed the family style some guests had 3 poritions of prime rib.

I absolutely loved having my wedding at the Salem Cross, as I was in a very tight budget, however, I was so THANKFUL that it did not rain the day of my wedding because I wasn't exactly sure where my ceremony would have been held as there were 4 weddings/parties going on at the same time as mine. In terms of cost, Nancy was very helpful in keeping our costs way down, and we made sure to meet with Nancy as much as possible. The only real complain I have was that we felt very pushed between the ceremony and the reception as we were on a time frame due to the next wedding coming in, we didn't really get to finish pictures and I felt rushed out of there. They were clearing cupcakes ( that had not been touched) and things that my sisters were running around fetching before they went in to the trash! However, the day was BEAUTIFUL and I couldn't have asked for anything better. The Food was also amazing, and I got RAVE reviews about how wonderful/and homemade everything tasted!

I need to start off by saying that our day at the Salem Cross Inn (the ceremony outside and the reception in the barn) was absolutely PERFECT. The setting is not only beautiful, but it is unique, there aren't many places like it around. Best of all, the cost was extremely reasonable, something my parents appreciated. Our guests loved the setting, and many of them had wished they found it first for their wedding. The food was delicious, we have had lunch and dinner here several times and have never ever had a bad meal. We were allowed to stay late the day of the wedding (with no extra charge) as there was no event after ours, so our guests got in a extra half hour or so of dancing. And the beautiful cake they made, it was sooooo good! I got so many compliments from people on how this was one of the best tasting cakes they have had at a wedding!During the planning, there were some frustrations. I felt that we were often playing phone tag because they don't seem to utilize email very much. I would send an email, and get a phone call back. The first time I spoke with them on the phone, I felt they were a little rude, however each time I met in person with both Nancy and Donna, they were wonderful. I was trying to plan our wedding from over 500 miles away and felt communication was not always clear. I had to plan some (unexpected) trips home, for example, when they called me 6 weeks before the wedding and wanted to meet with me 'before invitations were printed' to make meal selections, after I had designed, hand made each invitation myself and sealed the envelopes for mailing. I also made all of the centerpieces myself, as well as the favors and most of the decorations. When I dropped off everything for the wedding, I was told that I would have to come back the day before the wedding and assemble my (very simple to put together) centerpieces, decorate the gazebo myself for the ceremony and arrange my decorations the way they needed to be because "We don't usually do this kind of stuff, the florist usually does the centerpieces and people don't usually do this kind of stuff". In all honesty, it is a beautiful place and probably doesn't need as many decorations as I had brought. I think that perhaps the issues I had were related to me living so far away at the time and me making everything myself and wanting everything set up and decorated a certain way, so I can't really blame them for not wanting to set my stuff up for me.All in all, this is one of the most beautiful places to have a wedding, with wonderful food (and cake!), a great setting for beautiful photographs and a place that all your guests will remember. Take a visit there for yourself and see why I highly recommend the Salem Cross Inn for a wedding.

The outdoor ceremony site is nice with a gazebo and gardens overlooking farm fields. Beautiful area. The site is a BIT close to the road, but it's not that bad. Cheap... only $2 per person to set up chairs, that's it!

The cake at Salem Cross is FANTASTIC. It tastes amazing... but the decorating isn't the best... but really, who cares about the decorations when it tastes so good! It wasn't the cheapest, but it was reasonable

The food at Salem Cross is AMAZING. Everything is homemade and fresh... even the rolls. DELICIOUS and a great variety to choose from. Entrees are $25-30.

The function hall is in the barn. It's rustic, but beautiful with antiques and exposed wood beams. Not too expensive. It has two floors, about 100 people fit on the first floor and about 60 people can fit in the second floor loft area.

Salem Cross Inn was a beautiful place to host the ceremony and reception. They were very professional and knew exactly what they were doing every step of the way. They helped greatly in planning the whole day. They were very flexible and eager to customize every detail. The meal and rental was very reasonably priced for the area, the best value out of all venues around. The FOOD is above and beyond what you could EVER expect at a wedding... people were raving for days about the food! The reception in the barn is a bit tight, but the waitresses move easily and efficiently around and do not disturb any guests. They are a busy location, so sometimes are not immediate in responding to calls/emails, but will get back in a couple days. They were essential in helping the day move easily from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception without a hitch... especially in working with the DJ and photographers to make everything go smoothly and perfectly! I would highly recommend Salem Cross Inn for their incredible food, knowledge, organization, flexibility and the sheer beauty of their property!

The Salem Cross Inn is an absolutely beautiful place for a wedding! Everyone that attended our wedding raved about the food and atmosphere. The service was wonderful and they really work with you to be sure all the details are taken care of. The Inn was very accommodating and responded promtly to my questions and concerns. The staff who served us throughout the night were very friendly and professional and you can't beat the quality of the food. I highly recommend the Salem Cross Inn and couldn't be happier with the way our day turned out.

Overall we were very happy with almost everything with the wedding. The wedding planner Donna was amazing, and wanted us to enjoy the whole planning process. The food is easily one of the best parts of the day.The Hostess the night of the wedding was the most disappointing. She tried to rush the cocktail hour, interrupting the photo's 15 minutes in to ask if we could just go in and get things moving. We said no. We paid a lot of money for our photographer, and wanted the most out of it. We heard from our guests after the wedding that she was rude to them in the foyer, and rushed them into the banquet room. We realized after the wedding that we only had a handful of signitures in the guest book. Our guests told us that the hostess didn't allow them to sign it. It was very warm in the Barn, and a few of the guests opened windows to cool the place out. The hostess was rude to them to close it, so we baked. As the bride, my makeup was melting off, I had to go outside frequently to cool off.One of my guests was unhappy with the food for his 12 year old daughter, and spoke with her about it. My husband and I spent our first meal together worried about our guests fighting with the hostess in plain view.When it was time to dance, we were a little taken aback that no one was dancing. We asked the Dj what the problem was. The DJ stated that the hostess refused to turn downs the lights. When I finally tracked down the hostess and got the lights down, the room livened up.Overall we were happy with the wedding. We don't dwell on mishaps, but there were a few.

For the amount of money (fees) they charge for things, it seems that they should do a bit more in helping out with the setting up of things for the wedding. And no one would have been there to help out with our rehearsal dinner coordination unless my husband specifically asked for someone to be there. If no one was there to help with that, we would have been completely lost. The place is historic and beautiful and the food is excellent and priced well for what you get. A lot of other wedding venues over charge for food and it isn't even hot. The Salem Cross makes sure your meal is hot and is priced below most other venues for weddings.

My husband and I chose The Salem Cross Inn at it is a beautiful historic location and the food is excellent! The meals are priced between $20 and $30 per person which is very much on the low side. The planning at the beginning went very well and it was not until two weeks before the wedding that I ran into some troubles. I kept calling the two weeks before the wedding to give my final headcount and could not get a call back! Also, at this time, prices started to change. When we booked the location we were told there was a $500 room fee which all of a sudden went up to $1,000! I was also told that the cake would be $5 per person, but two weeks before the wedding the price went up to $7.50 a person or $7 a person depending on who you spoke with. I was told that the $5 per person was for a white cake, but because we chose chocolate mouse, it was going to be more. There was nothing in the paperwork that indicated this change in price. I also had to put down $250 to have an outdoor cocktail hour, but it rained our on wedding day and we did not get that money back. We also had to pay $2 per chair to be set up for the outdoor gazebo..but since the wedding was moved inside...they just dragged the dining chairs into a setup, but we still had to pay the fee.I have to agree with the person who posted before me who happened to get married there the day before me! When we arrived for our rehearsal and dinner, we were not greeted by any members of the staff. Instead we watched them leave for the day and let us fend for ourselves. Since the wedding had to be moved inside, we had a lot of questions. Luckily we had our rehearsal on Thursday for a Saturday wedding so I was able to straighten things out on Friday. I did get the room fee back to the original $500 but this was stress I did not need in the weeks before my wedding. I would recommend The Salem Cross Inn to others as the atmosphere and the food is excellent. I would highly recommend that you get all associated costs in writing when you send in your deposit and make sure everything is clear. I think The Salem Cross Inn has recently entered the wedding business and have a way to go to get themselves up to par with facilities that have been doing wedding for years.

Donna from Salem Cross Inn was so helpful and ready to answer any and all questions. I felt relaxed and comfortable about the whole process. It is a beautiful venue and they will do whatever they can to make your day special to you. My favorite part was having my cupcake cake made by them. Not only is the food delicious but the cupcakes were the best I've ever had! We appreciated their organization, the ability to have a separate place to get ready, and the atmosphere. We plan on going back for our anniversary every year!